Light.
A beam of light pierced the prolonged darkness, awakening the sleeping Li En. Tanding.
Slowly opening his eyes, an undeniable imperial majesty emerged from their depths.
"It's finally over."
He let out a sigh that transcended time.
Today was the day of his resurrection, Li En. Tanding, the Holy Yuan Emperor of the Divine Eldaria Empire.
In his previous life, a dump truck's accelerator sent him into this war-torn alternate world.
Reborn, he didn't even know who his parents were amidst the flames of war. Without a system or a golden finger, relying solely on hard work and opportunities, he steadily climbed to a high position, unified the fragmented Eli Continent, and established the first great unified dynasty in this world's history: the "Eldaria Empire."
And he earned the prestigious title of Holy Yuan Emperor.
The fame of the Holy Yuan Emperor spread across the four seas; dragons, elves, orcs, and demons all submitted to him. Their territories were incorporated into his nation, and all races came to pay tribute.
This achievement was unprecedented, making him worthy of being called an emperor for all time. But he was not content with this. Using an artifact obtained from an ancient divine relic, he sought to ascend the staircase to godhood.
Alas, the plan for ascension, prepared for ten years, shattered overnight. He suffered a backlash curse from the artifact; his body weakened in a single night, leaving him with less than a month to live.
To heal himself, he activated the divine artifact: the "Returning Source Cocoon."
Inside the Returning Source Cocoon, he would purify the backlash and reconstruct his body. This would take nearly ten years, but once the purification was complete, a stronger Li En. Tanding, an emperor beyond his peak, would reclaim the throne.
By then, he would also possess sufficient power to once again challenge for godhood and become the sole myth.
And now was his moment of rebirth, breaking free from the cocoon.
He could already feel it: surging power coursing through his newborn blood, a youthful body awaiting activation.
He reached out, his hand extending towards that beam of light.
"Loyal subjects, welcome your King!"
Crack—
The cocoon shattered, and more light spilled in. But what Lien saw was a pair of slender, fair hands reaching out to him from the brightness...
He was picked up, and then blinding light filled his vision. Before he could even react, he was enveloped in a soft embrace, carrying a warm, fragrant scent.
"Wow! What a cute little baby!"
A surprised yet still very young voice rang in his ears.
"?"
"What's going on?"
His eyes still couldn't open, but he could feel someone holding him without any regard for etiquette, and even kneading his cheeks arbitrarily?
Such presumptuous behavior angered Lien, especially at the crucial moment of his resurrection. How dare someone commit such an act of disrespect towards imperial authority!
"A thunderous punishment must be bestowed!"
However, when he tried to unleash his thunderous punishment, he found that his immense magical power couldn't be used at all?
When his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized there were no subjects here, no magnificent palace.
There was only a simple, humble wooden cabin, white bedsheets, a small wardrobe, the window shutters creaking in the wind, gentle sunlight streaming into the room, and steam still rising from the hearth in the corner.
And at this moment, welcoming his new life, was only a pretty elf girl with long gray hair, wearing an apron, still with a baby face, and pointed ears.
The elf looked at him, her face somewhat pale and weak, but her sapphire-like eyes held excitement, surprise, and an indescribable....
Affection.
Why was she looking at him with the eyes one would use for a small baby?
And why was his nearly two-meter tall physique being held by this little girl?
"Something's not right..."
Lien realized something, but he wished it was just his hallucination...
The elf extended a slender finger, gently touching his cheek, her voice soft and trembling as she said.
"Little baby, from now on, I'll be your mother."
Lien raised his hand and saw that his once powerful, strong hands, which had slain countless enemies and were stained with blood, had become small, delicate, like newly sprouted tender shoots, glowing with a fleshy light in the sun.
"I... I've turned into a baby?"
His pupils trembled.
"And shouldn't I be in the deep tower in the heart of the Imperial Court? Where is this place?"
How could this be...
Holy Yuan Emperor Li En. Tanding was petrified.
Where was his power to overturn rivers and seas!
Where was his majestic and imposing body!
Where was the Empire he had fought for half his life!
And who was this white-haired girl!
What the hell happened!!
The elf placed him on the soft, blanket-covered bed, then held his two chubby ankles.
"Don't move, little baby, let me see..."
"Wait, what are you doing! Stop! Stop it now!!!"
Lien roared, but found that his newborn body had no strength at all. He could only flail his two short arms wildly, letting out wailing cries.
"Eh, it's a boy. So small and cute...."
Utter humiliation, this was simply utter humiliation! For His Majesty the Emperor to be so disgraced, it was a national disgrace for the Empire!
Lien was furious, wanting to curse, but at this moment, he could only let out a few cries.
"Eh? Why is he crying so much?"
The little elf panicked, flustered, and could only stroke his head with her delicate hand to comfort him.
"That's right, newborns need a bath!"
Seeing the sticky residue from the Returning Source Cocoon still on Lien, the elf suddenly remembered. She quickly turned and brought over the steaming kettle. She poured hot water into a wooden basin, added cold water, tested the temperature, and then brought it to the bedside. She dipped a towel in the warm water.
But as soon as the warm, still-damp towel touched Lien's skin, he felt an agonizing pain like a branding iron and cried out even harder.
"Eh eh?" The elf quickly withdrew the towel, not understanding why the little baby reacted so strongly.
"Is, is the water too hot?" She then realized that a newborn's skin was more delicate.
So she added more cold water, then wrung out the towel more thoroughly, and carefully and gently wiped his body again.
After all this, Lien was exhausted, and he couldn't resist the strong sleepiness of a newborn. He actually fell into a deep sleep during the warm wiping.
...
He didn't know how long he had slept, but he opened his eyes.
He was lying on a soft mattress, still with those tiny baby hands, still in that small, very lively wooden cabin. However, it was now dusk, and looking out the window, he could barely see a few wisps of smoke, guessing there was likely a small village outside.
By the bed, the gray-haired elf was sprawled out, fast asleep.
And on a wooden table nearby, lay a half-shattered oval eggshell. That was the Returning Source Cocoon that had carried his rebirth. It now looked completely ruined.
The cocoon, which had been as tall as a person when he entered it, had now shrunk to the size of an ostrich egg.
Lien let out a long sigh from the bottom of his heart.
"I've really become a child..."
He had repeatedly confirmed with the Grand Sage of the highest rank in the Magic Tower that the Returning Source Cocoon could purify the curse on his body and reconstruct his physical form.
But this reconstruction was too thorough.
It had essentially reset him to a starting character.
Even all his magical power was gone.
Didn't they say it would return him to his peak period?
Damn it, he had to chop off that so-called Grand Sage's head.
And kill all the ministers who had agreed with him at the time.
However, there was still a very important question: why was he here?
The Returning Source Cocoon was placed in the deepest part of the Empire's heartland, protected by layers of restrictions. It should not have ended up outside.
Lien had a bad feeling.
His resurrection had taken much longer than expected, and during this time, a major upheaval, perhaps even the downfall, could have occurred in the Empire.
Only for that reason would the Returning Source Cocoon, buried deep within the Empire, be taken out and lost to a place like this.
He shifted his gaze. The room's furnishings were simple. The only thing that reflected a sense of time was a book on the table. The era he had been in was still medieval; such bookbinding techniques were unlikely then.
At least a century or two must have passed.
He would only know the specifics after gathering more information.
But one thing he was certain of now.
He was most likely no longer the Emperor.
At least for now, he definitely couldn't return to the Empire.
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